"Some treasures aren't made of gold — but that won't stop Asura from trying to buy them anyway."
The mimic's body was gone—no bones, no ash, just faint motes of dissolving mana swirling through the air like starlight in smoke.
The dungeon trembled once, then fell silent.
Lucilla lay unconscious in Mary's arms. Her pale hair clung to her skin, her face streaked with tears dried by heat.
Rhazor stood to one side, sword planted in the cracked stone, still catching his breath.
Asura, however, looked … fine. Maybe too fine.
Mary turned to him, her tone calm but sharp.
"That form—you used it again. What did the mimic show you to make you lose control like that?"
Asura stretched his arms behind his head, giving her a sheepish grin.
"Nothing to worry about, teach. Just showed me how far I've come."
Mary frowned. "That's it?"
"Mm-hmm!" he chirped, hands behind his head, strolling forward through the fading fog.
"Totally not traumatic or anything."
Rhazor blinked. "…you're scary sometimes."
✦ The Treasure Room
They followed the corridor that had appeared where the mimic's body dissolved.
It opened into a hall so bright it seemed to breathe light — a chamber lined with cracked stone pillars and floors dusted in gold flakes.
Mountains of coins gleamed in soft dunes; weapons hung on spectral racks; crystals the size of carriages pulsed with trapped mana.
Lucilla stirred faintly in Mary's arms as the group entered.
Mary adjusted her gently, eyes scanning the chamber. "Looks like the mimic was guarding a hoard."
Asura's eyes, however, went wide as saucers.
He darted toward the nearest pile like a child let loose in a candy store.
"JACKPOT! Forget dungeons—this is retirement!"
He scooped up coins by the handful, letting them rain between his fingers, giggling under his breath.
Rhazor leaned on his sword. "You act like you've never seen money before."
"Not this much!" Asura twirled, gold coins scattering.
"Think of it, Rhaz — with this, we could start a top-secret clan. You, me, Lucilla, Mary—rule the world in matching uniforms!"
Mary sighed. "You're a menace, not a monarch."
✦ The Whisper in Gold
Asura was about to crown himself with a coin helmet when two transparent windows flickered into view, visible only to him.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : You might want to slow down on the villain monologue, Asura. There's something else here. ]
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Indeed. To your left. Behind that broken obelisk. The door calls to fallen blood. ]
Asura blinked. "Door?"
He tilted his head, pretending to admire a pile of coins while side-eyeing the half-crumbled wall the Aetherborn indicated.
"Hey … you two — how do you even know about some door?" he muttered under his breath.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Because this isn't a normal treasure room. Many dungeons have one like it — a hidden chamber said to be built for the fallen. ]
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : You mortals call them dungeons. We call them memories. Some were made by the Fallen Angels after Heaven cast them out.]
Asura blinked, whispering, "Wait, you mean like— Fallen Angels built all of this?"
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Yes. They crafted dungeons as homes and graveyards both. Each one contains a hidden room only they can open. ]
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Poetic, really. Heaven burned their wings, so they buried their sins underground. ]
Asura's curiosity flared. "That's kinda dark … and kinda cool."
He slipped away from the group, steps light on the golden floor, until he reached the obelisk.
Beneath it was a narrow seam—a door with faint runes shaped like feathers curled into flame.
He pressed a hand against it.
The symbols pulsed red, then black — then opened with a soft whisper like a sigh of dust.
✦ Echo of the Fallen
Inside, the chamber was nothing like the gold hall outside.
It was narrow and dark, walls carved of obsidian, air humming with faint hymns.
In the center floated a single feather—black, half-burned, wrapped in faint blue flame.
Asura felt a chill crawl up his spine.
He could feel it — the remnant sorrow of a thousand wings that had once reached for Heaven.
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Careful. What you're feeling is their echo. ]
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : This is what we call a Fallen Core — a seal believed to be left behind in certain dungeons. It remembers its creators. ]
Asura tilted his head. "Huh. So… if I pick it up, will I get cursed or get wings again?"
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Fifty-fifty chance. Try it. I'm bored. ]
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Do not try it. ]
He grinned. "Guess that means I'll try it."
"Asura!" Mary's voice echoed from the hall, footsteps closing in. "Don't touch anything you don't understand!"
He sighed, straightening quickly. "Too late to stop destiny, Teach!"
He grabbed the feather—
—nothing exploded.
The feather flickered, dissolving into his palm like smoke drawn into flame.
A faint mark, black and silver, etched itself onto his wrist — the shape of a half-burned wing.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : …Congratulations. You've unlocked 'Fallen Sigil – Dormant (Sealed'. ]
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Ah, finally. The boy has taste. ]
Asura flexed his hand, admiring the glow. "Neat."
Mary arrived in the doorway, out of breath, Rhazor behind her carrying Lucilla.
They stared at the fading light in Asura's hand.
"You didn't," Mary said flatly.
Asura flashed her a grin. "I did."
Rhazor groaned. "Every time we go somewhere with you, something awakens."
"It's a talent," Asura said brightly.
Mary rubbed her temples. There were questions she wanted to ask — and answers she very much did not want yet. "Let's just get the loot and leave before the dungeon decides it wants another boss fight."
✦ Secrets Beneath Gold
Asura followed behind them, still staring at the faint mark on his wrist.
He didn't know what it meant—only that it pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : You should be careful with that power, Asura. It doesn't belong to you. ]
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Oh, but doesn't it? He is half angel, after all. Perhaps the door knew. ]
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Stop encouraging him. ]
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Stop denying his nature. ]
Asura smiled faintly to himself.
"You two argue too much."
He looked back once toward the hidden chamber, now sealed again under shadow.
"Guess we'll find out what's behind the next door, huh?"
And with that, the group left the treasure hall — gold glittering behind them, the faint echo of fallen wings humming in the dark.